From the Farmers Market to the Global Market: 100 Years of GL events Owen Brown

Companies that continue to expand after 100 years in the same business must be doing something right. The distance may only be 10 miles, but from humble beginnings on Loughborough High Street to a vast modern facility in Castle Donington, if Owen Brown could see his company today it would seem more like a million miles from where he begun. Having started as a supplier of rope and canvas products, often setting up stall at local markets, 2012 saw GL Events Owen Brown undertake their biggest project ever as they supplied a vast array of structures to the London Olympics. Some of those structures are now earmarked for overseas locations, extending the legacy of their original purpose and further spreading the coverage achieved by the supplier. 1x1.trans From the Farmers Market to the Global Market: 100 Years of GL events Owen Brown general event industry news an Event Magazine The company started in less glamorous surroundings than it regularly finds itself in today. With such longevity in their field of expertise, Event Industry News (EIN) spoke to current Owen Brown Managing Director Scott Hayward and started by asking him how the demands of event organisers had influenced the design of their structures over the years. “There is always going to be an element of both push and pull”, said Scott. “Firstly there’s the push factor. Over the years technology has improved, allowing us to bring new innovations to the market. In the 60’s Owen Brown led the move from canvas products to PVC, which significantly helped our operations. It had been very time consuming to maintain canvas as it had to be thoroughly cleaned and dried before being stored away and would often become soiled and unusable during the storage period due to damp creeping in. In addition, it was much harder to handle on site as it had to be kept clean during the installation, which was not easy when these large quantities of canvas needed to be laid out on the ground before the poles underneath were pushed up. In the 80’s Owen Brown also led the way in marquee innovation by being the first company in the UK to switch from wooden poles to aluminium frames. This created longer lasting and sturdier marquees, which went down particularly well with our corporate Christmas party clients.” The other side of their developments have been as a result of what Scott terms ‘the pull factor’, changes that have come about through customer feedback. “The marketplace is certainly demanding a higher specification for their marquee, or as they are now more commonly known, temporary structure”, said Scott. “Over the past 10 years we have introduced hard sided PVC panels, glazed window panels and a much higher specification fit-out system. This allows organisers to finish their structure to practically look like a permanent venue inside with lighting, sound and AV rigging equipment and interior decoration. Organisers are also now demanding more than ever a flat lining finish rather than the swags and drapes we would so often associate with a wedding marquee.” The 1990’s and 2000’s saw the firm continue to expand and innovate. Owen Brown introduced hard-sided structures in 2002 – a move which, like aluminium frames 21 years earlier, revolutionised the industry. Having created a solid reputation within their field of expertise, EIN asked Scott if structure companies should offer a wide range of products or just concentrate on doing a small selection to a high standard. “It all depends on the size of the temporary structure supplier and their ability to cope with a larger product range”, said Scott. “We supply high end structures and have a large range available in a huge array of sizes, from 5m wide up to 50m wide and unlimited in length, in 5m bays. One of the key aspects of our range is that all of the parts are interchangeable, allowing our operations and stock system to flex very easily. However, we seldom offer a bespoke solution due to the investment needed for bespoke structures. However, there are specialist companies in the UK who can very easily offer bespoke structures. I think it’s in the bespoke aspect that you have to pick one or the other. Having installed 170,000sqm of temporary structures at 80 Olympic and Paralympic venues, including Greenwich Park for the equestrian events, Lord’s Cricket Ground for the archery, Eton Dorney lakes for the rowing and on the Olympic Park itself, 2012 was the busiest in the firms history. One year on, Owen Brown continues to serve the UK market. However, owing to the exposure gained from the games, they have launched an ambitious campaign to market its Olympic stock as hospitality solutions to locations around the world. Alongside its parent company GL events, Owen Brown is also targeting future events such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, both of which take place in Brazil. From a Loughborough shop front to Copacabana Beach, 100 years on one can only imagine what the company’s founder would make of it all.